When applying for a visa or a residence permit to Norway, applicants from the Lao PDR must contact the Norwegian Consulate in Vientiane.
Applicants must submit an application with supporting documents. In the Checklist you will see what documents are required. The passport should be submitted with applications for short stay visas (up to 90 days). A copy of the passport in A4-format is needed for an application for residence permit.
All Laotian documents must be translated into English by an authorized translation office and then verified by the Laotian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vientiane. If the documents are not stamped as described in the checklist, the applicant would be advised to come back to the Consulate when all the documents are in order.
The Consulate in Vientiane will send the application with supporting documents to the Norwegian Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Embassy in Hanoi will process short stay visa applications at the Embassy, and send applications for long stay permit to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) in Oslo, as the Embassy does not have the necessary authority to grant such applications.
A handling fee must be paid when submitting an application, see information about fees. The consulate will convert the fees from Euro (for the short stay visa) and from Norwegian kroners (for all types of residence permits) to US dollars or Lao KIP.
The Embassy also asks the references in Norway to read the information in Norwegian that is posted here.
Incomplete applications and rejections
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Incomplete applications are applications lacking relevant documents, with inaccurate/incorrect information or false statements. A false statement will lead to a rejection and may render you liable to prosecution under the law of Norway.
If UDI suspects a marriage to be a pro forma marriage, the applicant for family reunification reason will be rejected.
If your application for a residence permit to Norway is rejected, you may appeal against this decision. An appeal may be submitted at the Embassy within 3 weeks upon receiving the decision. The appeal must be submitted by the applicant in person, or by a person representing the applicant only under a written power of attorney from the applicant. The Embassy will forward the appeal to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI). The processing of the appeal is free of charge.
The right to insight and appeal
According to the Public Administration Act only the person to whom a decision is directed or whom the case otherwise directly concerns, is party to the case. This means that only the applicant can receive information about the case, the content of the decision, and appeal the decision.
However, if the Laotian applicant produces a written power of attorney to another person, that person can act as agent and be given insight to the documents in the case, and appeal on behalf of the applicant. You will find the form to give power of attorney here (only in English).